Photoshop CS4 Studio Techniques- P3 pps

46 Chapter 2 Selection Primer navigate a drive in the Folders panel, click the arrows next to each folder to view its contents. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate the folder list quickly. Navigate your hard drive by using the preview area on the right side of the Bridge interface. Double-click folders within the thumbnail view to open them, or click the breadcrumb trail across the top of the interface to move one level closer to your desktop. If you’ve navigated to a folder that you’ll want to access frequently, click the Favorites tab and drag the folder from the Content tab at the bottom of the screen to the bottom of the Favorites list (or choose File > Add Folder to Favorites). Then, when you need to access that folder, click it from within the Favorites panel or choose it from the pop-up menu that appears at the top of the Bridge window. One note of caution: This particular view is only visible in the Essentials mode. If you’re not sure in which folder an image resides, choose Edit > Find to search for the image based on its fi lename, date modifi ed, keywords, or other criteria (Figure 2.2). One nice feature about Bridge’s search capability is that it allows you to view the results even if they happen to be located in multiple folders. If you end up viewing another folder after performing a search, you can return to the search results by clicking the Back button that appears in the upper-left corner of each Bridge window. The fastest way to access files that reside on your desktop is to choose Desktop from the pop-up menu that appears at the top of the Bridge window. Figure 2.2 The Find dialog in Adobe Bridge. 47 I: Working Foundations Working with Thumbnails The Content panel in the center of the Bridge interface presents thumbnail images of the contents of the current folder. Click any thumbnail to select that single image. Command/Ctrl-click to select additional thumbnails, or Shift-click to select a range of thumbnails. When the desired thumbnails are selected, you can do the following: . Open the images in Photoshop by double-clicking one of the selected thumbnail images or by pressing Command/Ctrl-O (not zero). . Delete the selected images by pressing Delete (Mac) or Backspace (Windows). . Rotate the thumbnails by clicking one of the curved arrow icons that appear at the top of the Bridge window. (Note that although the thumbnail rotates, the image is rotated only after it has been opened in Photoshop.) . Move an image to a different location on your hard drive by dragging it to one of the folders in the Fold- ers or Favorites tabs. You’re not limited to dragging to folders shown in Bridge; you can also drag folders and fi les directly to your desktop or hard drive. To move a duplicate of the image, hold down Option/Alt while dragging a thumbnail. When you click a thumbnail, a larger version of the thumbnail appears in the Preview panel (assuming that the Preview panel is visible). If you select multiple images, all of the images will be scaled and arranged to fi t in the Preview panel. This setup allows you to compare images side by side. To control the size of the thumbnails, adjust the slider that appears in the lower-right corner of the Bridge window. Smaller thumbnails allow you to see more images at once; larger thumbnails show more detail in each thumbnail image. To control how much information appears below each thumbnail, choose Preferences from the Bridge menu (Mac) or Edit menu (Windows) and change the vari- ous settings found in the Thumbnails section of the dialog. The largest thumbnail you can view is 512 pixels on any side, even though behind the scenes Bridge is creating thumbnail images that are 1024×768 pixels for each image. 48 Chapter 2 Selection Primer Sorting Thumbnails The options in the Sort menu (View > Sort) control the sorting order of the thumbnails. Sorting fi les by fi le size and resolution makes it easy to fi nd the images that can be used at a large size easily and quickly. Another option for choosing a sort order is to use the Sort pop-up menu located at the top of the Filter panel. To sort images by hand, click and drag the individual images to rearrange them into whatever order you want. After you’ve done that, Bridge’s Sort menu will indicate that your images have been sorted manually. Controlling Thumbnail Quality In previous versions of Bridge, images were displayed as quickly as possible when a folder was opened, with low-res thumbnails that are stored as part of most images. Then Bridge immediately began processing new thumbnails and updating the display to show those higher-quality, exposure-adjusted images. In Bridge CS4, this behavior is greatly improved. By default, Bridge now shows the stock low-res preview thumbnail and doesn’t automatically begin generating higher-quality previews. This change makes Bridge’s overall performance a lot snappier and allows for quicker navigation from folder to folder. Like Photoshop, Bridge accesses your computer’s video card for even greater image quality. If you want to see a higher-quality thumbnail (and preview image in the Preview panel), choose Always High Quality from the thumbnail options icon at the top of the interface (Figure 2.3). Bridge will generate a new thumbnail from your original image data. To change the performance and fi le-handling options, click Adobe Bridge CS4, choose Preferences, and select the Thumbnails listing (Figure 2.4). Figure 2.3 Adjusting image quality from the Thumbnail Options icon. 49 I: Working Foundations Rating and Labeling Images You can assign a rating of 0–5 stars to any image by select- ing the image(s) you want to rate and then choosing a rating from the Label menu. Alternatively, hold down the Command/Ctrl key and type a number from 0–5. To remove a rating, choose No Rating or assign a Reject rating. Note that you can also make relative changes to ratings by pressing Command/Ctrl-, (comma) to decrease the rating or Command/Ctrl (period) to increase the rating. Bridge lets you assign labels to images. Just as with ratings, all you have to do is select the image(s) you want to label, and then choose the appropriate label from the Label menu. Filtering Images In Photoshop, the term fi lters refers to bits of plug-in code that perform image processing operations. In Bridge, fi ltering refers to the process of narrowing a selection of images to fi nd only those that match specifi ed criteria. For example, you might fi lter a folder full of images to fi nd only those with a three-star rating, or a blue label, or both. Figure 2.4 Performance and file handling options for thumbnails. 50 Chapter 2 Selection Primer Filtering is very easy in Bridge CS4 thanks to the Filter panel at the lower left of the interface. Just select the items that specify the criteria for which you want to fi lter—JPG, Camera Raw, ISO speed, aperture values, and so on. The Filter panel is updated on the fl y to include only options relevant to the images you’re currently browsing. So, for example, if none of the images you’re browsing have rat- ings, no ratings options are listed in the Filter panel. Rating and fi ltering are critical parts of a post-production photography workfl ow. Because you’ll almost always shoot more images than you need, you can use Bridge to winnow the entire shoot to just the images that are worth editing. You can assign those images a rating or label, and then quickly fi lter your images to fi nd only those that match that rating. Additionally, in the lower-right corner of the Filter panel is a Clear Filter button, which lets you clear all fi ltering and return to viewing all of the images in the current folder. Changing Layouts By default, the Bridge layout displays all of the standard panels, including a lar ge Content panel. To resize a panel, drag its border. If you need to see more or fewer thumb- nails, just resize the panel containing the thumbnails. Bridge also provides several predefi ned panel layouts with different window confi gurations that allow for easier thumbnail viewing, larger preview viewing, or better metadata editing. Across the top of the Bridge window are various buttons for controlling Bridge’s layout and behavior. One of the more useful options is the small drop-down arrow at upper right, next to the Metadata listing. Click this arrow to choose from any of the standard workspace confi gurations (Figure 2.5), making your choice the new default. When- ever you want to return to the default workspace, just click the down-arrow button. If you’ve reconfi gured the panels in a particular way that you prefer to use, you can save that layout as a custom Bridge no longer automatically adjusts the exposure of an image preview, as in the CS2 version. This functionality is not available with any of the thumbnail options. Figure 2.5 Workspace choices. 51 I: Working Foundations workspace by choosing New Workspace from the Win- dows menu. The New Workspace dialog (Figure 2.6) lets you assign a keyboard shortcut as well as elect to save the Bridge window location and current sort order as part of the workspace defi nition. This new workspace appears as an option directly at the top of the interface (Figure 2.7). Figure 2.6 In the New Workspace dialog, specify how you want your customized workspace to be saved. Figure 2.7 The current workspace is listed at the top of the CS4 interface. If you’d rather present your images full screen without the distraction of thumbnail images and the rest of the Bridge interface, choose View > Slide Show. In this mode, you can press H to access an onscreen guide that lists all the key- board shortcuts necessary to control the slide show. Review Mode While the slide show option is a great way to de-clutter your Bridge interface and review images, CS4 offers a new and cooler method: Choose a folder or just a select group of images and then press Command/Ctrl-B, or choose View > Review Mode. Your selected images revolve as you click the right or left arrows in the lower-left corner of the screen (Figure 2.8). Clicking the down arrow drops a selected image from the selection. The lower-right corner of the window offers a Loupe view icon, along with the option to create a new collection. A great way to work with Review Mode is to select an entire folder and cycle through images, clicking the down arrow to drop the unwanted images, and then create a collection when the set is com- plete. This is an enormous timesaver! Additionally, the Review Mode is ideal for client presentations and preview. Review Mode is exclusive to Bridge. 52 Chapter 2 Selection Primer Figure 2.8 The new Review Mode in CS4 makes previewing images effective and fun. Renaming Files To rename a fi le quickly, click its name in the Browser panel and then type a new name. Pressing Tab takes you to the next fi le in the list so you can rename that one as well, making it very easy to rename an entire folder of images. To make renaming even faster, make sure that you don’t have any fi les highlighted in Bridge, and choose Tools > Batch Rename (Figure 2.9). In this dialog, you can automatically rename an entire folder’s worth of images. This feature is great for when you get images off a digital camera with odd fi lenames like _DMA3251.NEF. Change the settings on the pop-up menus in the Batch Rename dialog to specify the naming convention you want to use. A good idea is to set the fi rst choice to Text and enter something like “October Photoshoot.” Next, click the plus sign to the right of that option to add a second choice, where you can set a Sequence Number-Three Digits, and then add a third choice, such as Current File Name-Exten- sion. With this approach, all the images end up being named something like “October Photoshoot XXX.jpg,” where XXX is a unique number for each image, begin- ning with 000. 53 I: Working Foundations Figure 2.9 The Batch Rename dialog. Metadata The term metadata refers to all of the data that’s stored in a fi le along with the image. Your camera packs a lot of extra data into every image you take. All of your exposure set- tings, white balance settings, lens choice and focal length, date and time information, and more are stored in what’s called EXIF metadata. This data is read-only, and you can view it using Bridge’s Metadata panel (Figure 2.10). There’s another type of metadata called IPTC metadata, which is editable. IPTC metadata is where you store your copyright information, name, byline, and more. You can edit all of these fi elds by using the Metadata panel. In most cases, the Metadata panel contains all the meta- data tags you’ll need to see while browsing. Comparing and Examining Images One of the purposes of Bridge is to provide an easy way to compare images so that you can decide which ones you want to use in the rest of your workfl ow. With early versions of Bridge, the only way to compare images was to look at their thumbnails. Although Bridge’s Figure 2.10 Bridge’s Metadata panel makes it easy to read and edit the metadata attached to any image. 54 Chapter 2 Selection Primer high-quality thumbnails can be viewed at a large size, they don’t always afford the most effi cient use of screen space. What’s more, in thumbnail view, there’s no way to view just a few images unless you move them into their own folder. In CS4, you can use the Preview panel to compare images side by side in as large a view as your monitor allows. To view images side by side, click the Filmstrip workspace at the top of the interface. Then simply Command/Ctrl- click the desired images in the Content panel. Bridge will display those selected images in the Preview panel, arrang- ing them to maximize screen space (Figure 2.11). You can toggle an image on and off by Command/Ctrl-clicking it. As you select and deselect images, the Preview panel auto- matically changes their arrangement. Figure 2.11 View multiple images simultaneously in the Preview panel by Command/Ctrl-clicking the images you want to view. Loupe View No matter what size monitor you have, if you’re working with high-res images Bridge won’t be able to show full 55 I: Working Foundations resolution in the Preview panel when multiple images are selected; there simply won’t be enough room. When comparing images, you’ll often want to check focus, fi ne detail, or even sharpness as you decide which image to use. To do so, you’ll need to view the image “up close and personal.” You can do this with the Loupe tool. If you mouse over the image in the Preview panel, your cursor will change to the standard Photoshop Zoom In magnifying glass. Click the image, and Bridge’s new Loupe will appear (Figure 2.12). Figure 2.12 The Loupe tool lets you see a 100% view of any image in the Preview panel. Click the Loupe and drag it around for a 100% view of an image. If you want to see higher magnifi cation, press Command/Ctrl-+ (plus sign) to zoom in. Zoom back out with Command/Ctrl-– (minus sign). These are the normal Photoshop zoom-in and zoom-out keyboard shortcuts. To dismiss the Loupe, click the X in the lower-right corner of the Loupe. If the rating dots are visible, be careful when you’re selecting an image in the Content panel. If you click the Rating portion of the thumbnail, you’ll assign a rating to the image rather than select it. This is an easy way to rate images incorrectly by mistake. [...]... ones used in Photoshop The painters carefully place masking tape and paper over areas they don’t want to paint (windows, tires, door handles, and so on) That way, they can freely spray the entire car with paint, knowing that the masked areas are protected from overspray At the most basic level, a selection in Photoshop works in much the same way, but with a few additional advantages In Photoshop, you... a higher-quality edge on the selection Without Auto-Enhance, your edges will tend to be blockier However, using Auto-Enhance exacts a slight performance penalty Magic Wand The Magic Wand tool in Photoshop CS4 is located in the same menu as the Quick Selection brush Click and hold down the Quick Selection tool and then pick the Magic Wand (Alternatively, you can press W repeatedly until the Magic Wand... Figure 2.42 Type tools Photoshop includes a very powerful Type tool for superimposing text on an image, but sometimes you might just want to make a selection in the shape of type—perhaps to fill it with a gradient or to apply a filter through it You can do that with one of the Type Mask tools, located under the Type tool in the Tools panel (Figure 2.42) When you use the Type Mask, Photoshop shows a preview... press Return/Enter Learn more about the options of this tool in the bonus video “Type and Background Effects” at www.danablan.com /photoshop Refining a Selection Figure 2.43 The selection will be previewed using a red overlay on the unselected areas Selecting complex objects in Photoshop usually requires multiple selection tools To combine these selection tools, you’ll need to use a few controls in the... option, which allows you to set a range for the area (color) sampled, rather than for all the color within the image Refine Edge Beginning with CS3, Photoshop offers a much improved way of adjusting the edge of a selection After making a selection using any of Photoshop s selection tools (or a combination of selection tools), choose Select > Refine Edge to bring up the dialog shown in Figure 2.58 Figure... Lasso, Magic Wand, and Type Mask tools (Figure 2.26), as well as the new Quick Selection tool, are essential implements in your selection toolkit You’ll use these tools most often in your everyday work in Photoshop The Marquee tool is the most basic of all the selection tools Don’t let this tool’s simplicity fool you—it can perform a surprising number of tasks If you hold down your mouse button while your... irregularly shaped object (Figure 2.35) When you release the mouse button, the area will be selected Be sure to create a closed shape by finishing the selection exactly where you started it; otherwise, Photoshop will complete the selection for you 64 I: Working Foundations by adding a straight line between the beginning and end of the selection Zoom in on your document to get a more precise view by pressing... few straight segments in the middle of a freeform shape You can do this by holding down Option/Alt and then releasing the mouse button (but not the Option/Alt key) Now, each time you click your mouse, Photoshop will connect the clicks with straight lines To go back to creating a freeform shape, just start dragging and then release the Option/Alt key If you can’t see the entire image, hold down the spacebar... you’ve got the whole object Polygonal Lasso Use the Polygonal Lasso tool when you need to make a selection that consists mainly of straight lines Using this tool, you click multiple areas of the image, and Photoshop “connects the dots” for you If you need to create a freeform selection, hold down Option/Alt and drag (Figure 2.36) To finish a selection, click where the selection began; alternatively, you can... Edge Contrast setting is the most important of the settings on the options bar for the Lasso tools Edge Contrast determines how much contrast must exist between the object and the background in order for Photoshop to select the object correctly If the object you’re attempting to select has well-defined edges, use a high setting (Figure 2.38) You can also use a large Lasso tool width If the edges are not . from overspray. At the most basic level, a selection in Photoshop works in much the same way, but with a few additional advantages. In Photoshop, you can paint the car and leave the masked areas. (Note that although the thumbnail rotates, the image is rotated only after it has been opened in Photoshop. ) . Move an image to a different location on your hard drive by dragging it to one of. thumbnails and updating the display to show those higher-quality, exposure-adjusted images. In Bridge CS4, this behavior is greatly improved. By default, Bridge now shows the stock low-res preview